Tuesday, April 12, 2011

RCI Cyberjournal

The premier of the western Canadian province of Manitoba, Greg Selinger, says the province is well-prepared to handle spring flooding. But he cautions the spring thaw has only just begun. He also praised the work that's been done so far to prevent major flooding caused by ice jams on the Red River. Mr. Selinger says advance work by ice-smashing machines has paid big dividends in reducing ice jams.

VANCOUVER: POLICE WANT INQUIRY INTO TASING OF CHILD

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has asked police in the Pacific Coast city of Vancouver, BC, to conduct an inquiry into a controversial case involving an 11-year-old boy. Last week, federal police in Prince George fired a stun gun at the boy after he allegedly stabbed a man. Questions have been raised about the motive behind the shooting. A former appeal court justice, Thomas Braidwood, says that police should not investigate themselves. Mr. Braidwood headed a public inquiry into the use of a Taser in the case of a Polish man, Robert Dziekanski, who died in 2007 after being stunned several times. In his report into Mr. Dziekanski's death, he called on the British Columbia government to create an independent body to investigate cases involving police conduct. Similar agencies operate in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta.

TORONTO: CRIME VICTIMS GET BOOST

The province of Ontario is hoping to make it easier for the victims of crime and for their families to attend criminal trials. The province has announced a new fund designed to help cover travel costs for victims going to court. The Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty is spending an estimated $900,000 over three years to tackle some of the challenges facing victims and their families. The announcement coincides with the start of National Victims of Crime Awareness Week.

OTTAWA: GOVT. ACCUSED OF MISLEADING PARLIAMENT ON G8 SPENDING

There's a report that Canada's Conservative Party government stands accused of misleading Parliament regarding spending for last summer's G8 and G20 events held in Ontario. According to the Canadian Press, Auditor General Sheila Fraser says in a report not yet made public that the government requested Parliament approve an $83-million Border Infrastructure Fund. But Mrs. Fraser found that Parliament was misinformed because $50 million of the amount was actually intended for a $50-million G8 legacy fund. The G8 summit was held in Huntsville, ON, which isn't near the border. The report also notes that 32 of the projects carried out before the event did not appear to be connected to it. Huntsville is localed in the riding represented by Federal Industry Minister Tony Clement. The Treasury Board explained that the fund for the summits was included in the border project to avoid delays. Mrs. Fraser's report on the issue won't be published until after the May 2 election. Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe and his Liberal Party counterpart Michael Ignatieff have called for the reports imediate release. The Conservatives says they're willing to do so but that the draft report doesn't reflect the final version.In another development, Mrs. Fraser says she can only issue the final version of her G8 report when Parliament is sitting, that is, after the May 2 election. Mrs.Fraser also urges Canadians not to draw conclusions until the final report is made public because conclusions can change from one draft to another. The auditor general says only her final report represents her investigations' conclusion.

International

PERU

Ollanta Humala is leading in the first round of voting for Peru's presidency. And it appears that Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the country's jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori, will face Mr. Humala in a run-off election. The 48-year-old Mr. Humala won 28 percent of the vote, Miss Fujimori was in second place with 22.4 percent of the vote, while Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a 72-year-old former World Bank economist, ran third with 22.2 percent. Almost 20 million people were allowed to vote to replace President Alain Garcia.

LIBYA

Libyan rebels have rejected ceasefire proposal put forward by the African Union. An AU delegation offered the proposal in negotiations in the eastern city of Benghazi. The rebel council says it turned down the AU's plan because it didn't provide for the departure of strongman Moammar Ghadaffi and his sons, involving political reforms only.

JAPAN

The Japanese government has expanded the exclusion zone around a stricken nuclear plant. The government says children, pregnant women and hospital patients should leave are area between 20 and 30 kilometres from the Fukushima plant in northerneastern Japan. The earlier zone was 20 kilometres from the plant. The facility was wrecked by a tsunami on March 11. Meanwhile, another earthquake shook Tokyo and much of eastern Japan, and was followed by more than 25 aftershocks. The epicentre of the quake was 88 kilometres east of Fukushima.

BAHRAIN

The country's leading human rights activist will be questioned by a military prosecutor as part of the Gulf nation's growing crackdown against opposition. Nabeel Rajab is accused of tampering with photos of a man who died in custody last week. Rajab, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, claims the detainee was beaten to death. But officials say the detainee died after struggling with guards. Bahrain has declared martial law in an attempt to quell an anti-government uprising.

RUSSIA

Russia's foreign ministry has rejected the findings of an annual report on human rights by the U.S. state department. The ministry describes the document as politicized and reflective of a double standard. The report takes Russia to task for governmental and societal human rights violations over the past year. It mentions the extended jail term for former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the death in prison in 2009 of lawyer Sergei Magnitskyh. The ministry responded that Americans prefer not to remember their own record of violations. The ministry cited the disproportionate use of force in Iraq and Afghanistan leading to civilian casualties, as well as the continuing operation of prisons for alleged terrorists in Guantanamo, Cuba, and Bagram, Afghanistan.

BELARUS

Officials in the Belarussian capital of Minsk say at least 11 people have died in an explosion in a subway station in the city centre. The explosion occurred as travellers were stepping off a train at the end of the working day. The station is located only 100 metres from the presidential palace of President Alexander Lukashenko. There's no immediate word on whether the blast was an accident or a terrorist attack.

IVORY COAST

Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo is under arrest in a hotel in Abidjan. Forces loyal to President Alassane Ouattara seized him from a banker in the capital after French and UN helicopters fired rockets at his residence. The arrest came after days of fighting between the two sides that left hundreds dead. Mr. Ouattara won the country's presidential election on Nov. 28 but Mr. Gbagbo refused to accept the result. He had ruled the country for the previous decade.

Financial

MONTREAL: AIR CANADA REWARDS TOP EXEC

Air Canada has divulged information about the remuneration of its CEO. The airline says Calin Rovinescu's pay jumped almost 77 per cent last year to $4.6 million. He earned $2.6 million in 2009. Last year's compensation included a bonus of $150,000 in quarterly milestone payments. If Mr. Rovinescu remains at his post until March 31, 2012, he'll be able to access a $5-million retention payment. The possibility was including in his 2009 contract.

It's locker cleanout day around the National Hockey League as players from Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary head home for the off-season. The Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens, meanwhile, are gearing up for the playoffs, the Canucks open the first round Wednesday against visiting Chicago while the Habs begin in Boston on Thursday.